Product Description

In 1938 a two year old boy was recognised through a traditional process of discovery as being the reincarnation of all previous Dalai Lamas, the spiritual rulers of Tibet. Taken away from his parents, he was brought up in Lhasa according to a monastic regimen of rigorous austerity and in almost total isolation. Aged seven he was enthroned in the 1000-room Potala palace as the supreme spiritual leader of a nation the size of Western Europe, with population of six million. And at fifteen, he became head of state. With Tibet under threat from the newly Communist Chinese, there followed a traumatic decade during which he became the confidant of both Chairman Mao and Jawaharal Nehru as he tried to maintain autonomy for his people. Then in 1959, he was finally forced into exile - followed by over 100,000 destitute refugees. Here, in his own words, he describes what it was like to grow up revered as a deity among his people, reveals his innermost feelings about his role, and discusses the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. He tells of secret deals struck with the CIA as Tibet continued to struggle for independence, talks freely of the many world leaders he has known, and talks of the West's malaise from his standpoint as a spirtual and temporal figure of world reknown.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26114 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-02
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Dalai Lama's autobiography should leave no one in doubt of his humility and genuine compassion. Written without the slightest hint of pretence, the exiled leader of Tibet recounts his life, from the time he was whisked away from his home in 1939 at the age of four, to his escape from Tibet in 1959, to the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The backdrop of the story is the 1950 Chinese invasion of Tibet. We learn in calm detail of imprisonment, torture, rape, famine, ecological disaster and genocide that in under four decades of Chinese rule have left a million-and-a-quarter Tibetans dead and the Tibetan natural and religious landscapes decimated. Yet the Dalai Lama's story is strangely one of hope. This man who prays for four hours a day harbours no ill will toward the Chinese and sees the potential for good everywhere he casts his gaze. Someday, he hopes, all of Tibet will be a zone of peace and the world's largest nature preserve. Such optimism is not naive, but a result of his daily studies in Buddhist philosophy and his doctrine of Universal Responsibility. Inspiring in every way, Freedom in Exile is both a historical document and a fable of deepest trust in humanity. --Brian Bruya

SPECTATOR
'A touching book, that arouses great sympathy for its extraordiary author'

KIRKUS REVIEWS
'From the supernatural marvels of ShangriLa to the life and death manoeverings of Realpolitik...'

Customer Reviews

wonderful book by a wonderful man
For anyone who would like to get under the media surface of one of the planet's most iconic figures then 'Freedom in Exile' is the perfect place to start.Charting his life from his humble beginnings to his current exhalted position as the spiritual figurehead of one of our most enlightend religious traditions, his holiness never loses sight of where he came from,who he is and what he represents.
However,for me,what really made this such a revealing book is not the personal details of his fascinating life but his wider political insights.
Here is the Tibetan tragedy writ large.
The appalling brutal subversion of a tiny free Tibetan state of six million people by the corrupt,immoral authoritarian communist regime in Beijing. A nation of one billion people who used its power and military might to crush an ancient culture and grind its people into poverty. Wiping out over one million Tibetans in the process.
Despite the horrendous crimes against the Tibetan people, like that other great man of peace Nelson Mandela, His Holiness the Dalhi Lama does not wish ill upon his oppressors. Instead he seeks dialogue and a solution through peace in keeping with the peaceful Buddhist traditions he represents.
Inspiring !

Devastating, inspiring and heartbreaking - a book everyone should read
I have always felt a pull toward Tibetan Buddhism and have already read several books by the Dalai Lama. I don't know why I put off reading this one for so long (like another reviewer, it sat on my shelf for nearly a year before I read it). I'm glad I did. I was effortlessly drawn into a world so different to our cynical consumer-driven culture. the Dalai Lama is an engaging and talented writer, in spite of his protestations that his English is lacking.

His story is incredible and even more so is the depth of compassion and wisdom he displays - he is truly an inspirational soul, and a leader such as the world needs many more of. But this book isn't really about the Dalai Lama - it's about the horrific situation in Tibet. I had NO idea as to the extent of that nation's suffering. I cried as I read descriptions of how Tibetans have been tortured and slaughtered in the most horrific ways imaginable...truly, at times it makes you despair at the unspeakable cruelty of which human beings are capable of perpetrating against their fellow man. And yet juxtaposed with this is an immense ray of hope, in the form of the author himself and the extraordinary courage of his people. I am now committed to doing whatever I can to support and promote the Tibetan cause.

Read this book. It may just change your life.

Freedom In Exile The Auto-Biography of the Dalai Lama
Interesting, Amazing, Uplifting are just a few words I would use to describe this book. I couldn't put it down as it was just so very easy to read and that's coming from a bigginer at reading books over 200 pages long. If your interested in the life of the Dalai Lama its a must read.